Yoko Ono at BALTIC
The Brief
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art required a new and prolific way to launch one of their most prestigious exhibitions. The Yoko Ono exhibition, one of the largest collections of her work to date, was to be opened with an outdoor launch for both press and public at Baltic Square. As part of the exhibition there is a focal point on linking the two halves of the city by sending messages of love back and forth using a form of ‘Morse Code'; Onochord. Within the BALTIC there were a number of small torches allowing the public to send their own message and interact with the artwork. With Yoko Ono, a worldwide renowned figure being present, it was essential that the whole event ran smoothly and was as unique as the artist.
The Solution
To imitate Onochord, StudioDue CityColour2500s were installed on the roof of the BALTIC and on the top of the turrets of the Newcastle Keep. A sequence was then programmed to match the pattern of the flashing torches allowing the lights, and the north and south of the city, to ‘communicate' with each other. The data signal was sent between the lights using a wireless DMX system, originating from the roof of the BALTIC and being transmitted 1km to the Castle Keep.
The night before the opening launch, one of Yoko Ono's videos, Smile, was to be projected onto the car park wall between the BALTIC and The Sage Gateshead. This was done using our Sanyo XF60 projector, incorporating a short throw lens allowing a large sized output from a small distance. As part of the exhibition, a hearse had been transformed into a taxi to take people for rides around the city. This was lit directly outside the BALTIC with stark white light, a high contrast between the light and the metallic black vehicle.
The launch itself was staged outside the main entrance to the BALTIC and took place late afternoon. This was successfully achieved by building a small presentation stage, installing a PA system to cover the whole of Baltic Square, a projection of Yoko Ono's "Onochord" video and a basic lighting rig to illuminate the stage. Again, our Sanyo XF60 was used to project the video onto a screen on one of the iron clad buttress either side of the entrance. Our Nexo PA system was used, providing ample cover of the speeches on stage to Baltic Square. This event was the official opening of the exhibition and the switching-on of our CityColours. Both press and the public had gathered in large numbers to witness the event with Yoko Ono giving a short speech about the exhibition and demonstrating the communication across the city.
The following week, Yoko Ono's "Smile" video was to be projected onto the top of tower of the Newcastle Civic Centre. This was achieved using two Barco ELM-R18s and custom built video modification software. The finished image spanned the width of the Civic Centre tower, finishing ¼ of the way from the top.
The exhibition is on display until 15th March 2009 and more information can be found at the BALTIC website.
Image credit: Yoko Ono, Baltic Square 2008. Colin Davison
